Reverend Chris Dowd, Senior Pastor of Christ United, is a native Texan whose family moved to Maryland when he was 7 years old.  Raised Roman Catholic, Chris graduated from the University of Notre Dame (Go Irish!), before serving as a Supply Officer in the US Navy for four years.  After the Navy, he moved back home to Dallas, working as a consultant and then as an operations manager in the logistics industry.

After hearing a call to ministry, Chris attended Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University, earning a Master of Divinity degree Summa Cum Laude.  He has served as Associate Pastor and Youth Minister at Arapaho UMC in Richardson, Senior Pastor at First UMC of Henrietta, and Senior Pastor at First UMC of Sherman.  He joined the staff of Christ United in July 2019.

Chris and his wife Whitney have two sons, Max and Sam.  All four of the Dowds are incredibly excited and honored to be part of what God is doing at Christ United, a congregation that takes seriously our mission statement of Loving God, Serving Others, Transforming Lives.

Reverend Stefani Reed-Meyer is the Pastor of our Modern Worship service. Stefani has been a part of Christ United for many years as the Youth Pastor. She is originally from Waxahachie, TX where she was active in her local UMC throughout high school. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Texas A&M University in 2011 and her Master of Divinity from SMU’s Perkins School of Theology in 2014. Stefani has served as a camp counselor at Glen Lake Methodist Camp, as a hospital chaplain at Methodist Charlton, in children’s ministry at St. Andrew UMC, and as a pastoral intern at Euless FUMC. She was ordained as an elder in the UMC in June 2017.

Stefani is passionate about creating authentic worship experiences, mission ministry, and the polity of the UMC. She believes in the importance of the local church and strives to find ways to bridge the gaps between the church and the community. 

Stefani enjoys indoor cycling and reading fiction. Stefani lives with her spouse, Jake, their son, Miles, their daughter, Zoey, and their cat, Eleven. In their spare time, they can be found visiting family, enjoying the outdoors, or traveling.

Rev. Raegan Gilliland, our Pastor of Adult Discipleship, and a native Kansan. Born and raised in Salina, KS. Raegan was somewhat raised in the Presbyterian Church, but it wasn’t until late high school and college when she started to make her faith her own and construct her beliefs. During her last year of college at Missouri State University, where she earned a Bachelor in Speech and Theatre Education, she started to feel a call to ministry.

She stumbled into her first ministry job as a youth ministry intern at Village Presbyterian Church in Prairie Village, Kansas. When that position came to a close, she applied all over the United States, eager to go wherever God led her. As a joke, she applied to a funny sounding church called Lovers Lane UMC in Dallas, TX. To her surprise, she was hired and moved to Dallas in October of 2009. After being at Lovers Lane for one year, she met her husband, Scott, who had also joined the staff, and they were married within one year. In fall of 2012, they enrolled at Perkins School of Theology. She graduated in 2016 and was ordained as an elder in June 2018.

While at Lovers Lane UMC, Raegan had a variety of roles including Associate Youth Director, Confirmation Director, Young Adults Pastor, Evangelism Pastor, and Co-Pastor of a modern worship service called “Thrive.” Raegan has found she is most passionate about connecting people to one another in order for them to grow together as a community of faith. She also enjoys preaching, marriage ministry, and being in ministry with families.

Raegan loves a great cup of coffee, Parks and Recreation, reading memoirs, making people laugh, traveling with friends, and having people over in her home for a meal that Scott prepares. More than anything, Raegan loves being with her family and raising two incredible kids, Andie Jane, Jude, and Morgan, with Scott.

Reverend Mike Flynn is Associate Pastor of Care Ministries at Christ United. Mike is a former 30-year employee at EDS/HP, where he worked as a project manager for sales development programs.  Mike followed his calling into pastoral care in 2010 and has been active in congregational care ministries, most notably chaplaincy, assisted living, and Stephen Ministry.  He received his Master of Divinity at SMU Perkins School of Theology in May 2016 and joined the staff of Christ United in July 2016, where he currently directs the church’s care ministry activities.  Mike was ordained as a UMC deacon in 2018.  In his spare time, he enjoys traveling, treadmilling, music, sci-fi movies, and taking care of his cat Rex.

Reverend Don Underwood concluded his his 37th year as Senior Minister of Christ United and is now serving as Pastor Emeritus – Director of Donor Relations. During his tenure, Christ United has experienced rapid growth, as worship and Sunday school attendance have doubled. The church places great emphasis on lay ministry and missions, and Rev. Underwood has been intentional in developing an organizational style that focuses on ministry rather than management. Rev. Underwood received his Bachelor’s Degree from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas and his Master’s of Theology from the Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University in Texas. Rev. Underwood and his wife Bobby have two children, Adam and Joshua. Don enjoys quarter horses, hunting and is an instrument-rated private pilot.

For over 30 years, Don Underwood’s weekly columns have touched hearts and changed lives. They are great reminders of how God is ever present. Visit here if you are interested in receiving these columns each week.

Don’s books “The Long View” and “Pray Like Jesus” are available Amazon.

After more than 40 years of ministry, Don will be retiring in June of 2020.